Archive for News

This Monday April 1st will mark the 5th anniversary of when Sue and Dianne passed the keys to Sew Easy to Alton and Jenny! We hope you’ll join us to celebrate with cupcakes, giveaways and of course, a sale!

On Monday we’ll be hosting our annual Draw Your Discount sale, where you can get anything from 20% – 60% off your entire purchase*! We’ll also be offering Cheeky Monkey Cakes mini cupcakes, because they’re so delicious! We’ll be staying open late on Monday until 6:30pm so that even if you work you can get a great deal!

We’ll also be offering a whole week of anniversary sale deals! You’ll be able to get 50% off on select quilting cottons, polar fleece and yarns! There will be great giveaways available for you to enter all week too.

We hope you’ll join us next week to celebrate, and even if you can’t we want to say THANK YOU for making great things with us for the last five years!

We are so excited to announce the debut of a new local dyer, Emily McPherson known as EMily INK! Emily is debuting her yarns with us at Sew Easy on Friday September 21st and you won’t want to miss these one of a kind gems. She’ll be bringing blends of wool with merino, silk or cashmere that are all lovingly dyed in the most delightful array of colours, blends and speckles!

Drop by anytime during the day to see her yarns, or come down between 12 and 4pm when Emily will be hanging out with us, feel free to bring your knitting and stay a while with her!

You can find Emily on Instagram @em.ily.ink

We’re also very excited to be hosting the beautiful creations of Andrew Jackson, a local dyer, spinner, knitter, weaver, wealth of knowledge and general fibre enthusiast! He’s brought us a selection of his hand dyed spinning fibres and luscious hand dyed and hand spun yarns.

We have several 100g braids of New Zealand Halfbreed ,a mix of merino and English long wool, in alluring jewel and earth tones. He has also brought us his marvelous hand spun yarn, some unique beauties for a very special project, and a few sets of skeins for something more exceptional!

You can find Andrew on Instagram @fibreartwithandrew

We have so many new products coming in right now and over the next few weeks, this time of year can be so thrilling! I know this email seems very fibre and yarn based but there are new things in the sewing side of things too! The Burda and Kwik Sew Fall pattern updates are in the mail and on the way. We’ve got our feelers out for Halloween costume fabrics, including the illusive but always fun fake fur. We’re carrying Rit dyes in store now, including Rit Dye More dye which will dye items with polyester or a polyester blend. We’re also changing up our zipper selection to include YKK brand metal zippers, which have a much smoother action than the previous brand, and nylon coil separable zippers for hoodies and light jackets.

For now let me introduce you to our new yarns that are already in store!

Our first additions come from Drops and are all equally enchanting! Drops Flora is a blend of 65% wool and 35% alpaca, the same gauge as our Drops Alpaca yarn but the wool content gives it a greater loft and body than it’s pure alpaca neighbor. We have 16 colours available and only $5 a ball.

Drops Baby Merino fills a gap in our inventory of a washable sport weight wool. Each ball of 100% superwash merino wool is soft and delicate, and would make delightful items for a child or for an adult. We have 8 soft shades and are $7 a ball.

The next yarn is a workhorse of a yarn, Drops Karisma is a DK weight 100% superwash wool and we’re stocking a glorious 32 colours!! At $5 a ball we’re certain this yarn will quickly become a favourite for colour work and quick little projects.

Last is Drops Big Merino, Baby Merino’s Aran weight cousin, it looses none of the soft and squishy qualities of it’s finer weight brethren. Big Merino offers sumptuous stitch definition and an ultra smooth hand. We have 12 colours and they’re only $7 a ball.

Next Saturday, June 9th, is World Wide Knit in Public Day and were hosting a get together here at Trail Bay Centre! Fibre artists of all sorts, not just knitters, are invited to come, share some laughs and create with us from 12-4pm, and Emily McPherson has generously offered her time to teach any willing beginners how to knit. (Thanks Emily!!)

We’ll be inside the mall this year (historically the weather NEVER co-operates when we planned it for outside) so we’ll have tables, chairs and a few snacks available in the hall outside of Sew Easy. Everyone who comes down to participate can enter a draw to win a $25 gift card for Sew Easy!

So we hope you’ll join us on June 9th to spread the joys of knitting!

The Pfaff Performance Icon has arrived at Sew Easy!

“Inspired by German heritage, the PFAFF® performance icon™ sewing machine represents everything you’ve come to value from PFAFF®—a comprehensive and innovative sewing experience that truly delivers to your highest expectation. For over 155 years, PFAFF® has developed elegant sewing machines distinguished by sophisticated technology, superior results and ultimate design freedom.”

The Performance Icon boasts a 310mm (12.2″) workspace, a super bright LED light panel, self threading technology, larger bobbins, a complete manual (including video tutorials!) all accessed through the 257mm (10″) touch screen on your machine, the list goes on! Starting this week we’ll have one ready and set up for demo so we encourage you to come in and experience it for yourself!

Did you know we carried a swim knit fabric? We do! The Enso swim knit is a nylon jersey fabric with 25% four way stretch, perfect for creating activewear, shapewear lingerie, leotards and swimwear that, because of the nylon content, won’t lose it’s shape in chlorinated water. It has a beautiful silky hand that makes it very suitable for next to the skin wear. We’re currently stocking four solid colours, black, red and white pictured above, as well as a navy blue. (60″ wide, 80% nylon 20% spandex, $18/mt)

We’re also stocking sew in Dritz Soft Molded Bra Cups for use in your swim wear or formal wear! They come in three sizes A/B, B/C and C/D, and they are made from hypo allergenic polyfoam.

The Pfaff Spring Savings flyer event is on now until the end of May! Come in and try out all in stock machines to find the best fit for you. You can find all the details in store now!

New in store…

Four lovely and supple choices of marine grade flannel backed vinyl. These work beautifully to recover boat cushions and seats, but would also be ideal in any outdoor setting. 137cm/54″ wide $15 per metre.

Blackout Curtain

If the lovely sun we’ve been getting has been waking you up before your alarm clock you may be interested in the blackout laminated curtain fabrics we have in store! Having the lining already in place will save you time that can be spent out on the patio. 150cm/60″ wide $15 per metre

Maybe you’re starting to feel it’s a bit too warm to be pulling out the wool, then you should give BC Garn’s Lino 100% linen yarn a try! Don’t be put off by it’s texture on the ball, it starts off pretty stiff, but once it’s washed it softens up beautifully. 50g balls (164yds/150mts) $10 each

And if linen is your thing this year, then you might enjoy the twelve different 100% linen fabrics we have in stock right now! Subtle solids, two colour blends and a few pinstripes, they’re light, airy and just right for a summer wardrobe. 137cm/54″ wide $25 per metre

From now until the end of May, all Hiyahiya Interchangeable and Crochet Hook sets will be 20% off! Maybe a set to surprise Mom for Mother’s Day? Or maybe it’s good time to treat yourself! You can start any project at any time and know that you’ll have the right size tool for the job.

Here we are folks! Four years adds up to a lot of yarn wound, fabric cut, measurements deliberated, and colours considered. So we hope you’ll join us this weekend to celebrate with a sale! We’re going to have a Draw-Your-Discount Sale again this year, so once you have chosen what goodies to take home with you, you can draw to receive anywhere from 10% – 60% off your entire regularly priced purchase!* We’ll also be offering delicious mini cupcakes from Cheeky Monkey Cakes who make their delightful treats just down the street from us!

We look forward to seeing you this weekend! We’ll be open Saturday from 9:30-5:30pm and Sunday from 11-4pm so you can stop in and say hi and of course, draw your discount!

*Unfortunately this doesn’t include items already on sale, sewing machines, class fees and services like machine repair and scissor sharpening. It does include a lot of other great stuff though!

EASTER HOURS

Friday March 30th 11-4pm (Holiday Hours)

Saturday March 31st 9:30-5:30pm

Sunday April 1st 11-4pm

Monday April 2nd 11-4pm (Holiday Hours)

New in Store!

Let’s talk about Outdoor fabric!

After manufacturing issues and delays we are finally expecting our shipment of this year’s indoor outdoor fabrics! They’re right on trend using plenty of blue and aqua tones, mixed with coral and orange but with a few classic combinations in the mix as well. All these fabrics are rot and mildew resistant, as well as an extended 1000 hour UV resistant treatment to prevent fading. Look for them next week!

Hey, what ever happened to Finishuary?

Congratulations to the wonderful folks who participated in our Finishuary project! We saw a number of languishing projects get picked back up and finished and we couldn’t be happier. Above are a few of the items that got finished up, and we got reports a some things that didn’t quite make the deadline but got completed none the less. Spring cleaning sure feels good doesn’t it?

On October 17, 2015, Sew Easy and m1tog (Make One Together) invite you to help keep fellow Coasters warm this winter. Your skills can provide hats, scarves, mitts and blankets for those who will be using the cold weather shelter this season. There are many ways to participate, during the event and leading up to it.

If you’re available, you can come down to Trail Bay Centre on Saturday, Oct. 17 anytime between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. and knit or crochet in the company of others. Come for a little while or stay the whole day. There will be tea, coffee, snacks and giveaways. Come alone or bring a friend. Yarn, needles and hooks will be available for you to use if your donation is simply your time. You can drop off yarn (machine washable only, please) at Sew Easy anytime before Oct. 17.

You can bring also finished items to Sew Easy anytime before Oct. 17. You can join the Blanket Brigade and knit or crochet a 12-inch square prior to or on the event day. More details and patterns are available on m1tog.ca – a resource for people who wish to donate handmade items to local charitable organizations – and at Sew Easy, both in-store and at facebook.com/seweasysechelt. Come join in the spirit of giving and help make the Sunshine Coast a caring, cozy community for all.

We wanted to let you know about a great new workshop program we’re starting up in July, Summer Sundays at Sew Easy! Summer Sundays at Sew Easy is going to provide you with a new workshop EVERY Sunday starting at 1pm through July and August. We’ve laid out the schedule below, please pre-register with us either in person, phone, email, on Facebook or Ravelry. Payment must be made by the Friday before the workshop.

We would also invite feedback about workshop dates and times. While it’s impossible to have a time that fits for everyone, we would love to be able to schedule workshops that work for as many people as possible so please let us know if you’re interested in a class but the date doesn’t work for you! If there are a few people with the same interest we can often reschedule or run another class for a time that works for your group.

SUMMER SUNDAYS AT SEW EASY

Yarn Dying with Kool-Aid (1 class) with Jill Sullivan

Ever wondered how yarn dyers make such great colours? You can do it too! This super fun workshop is going to teach you how to dye basic wool yarn with food safe dyes in a microwave and in a pot to make the most amazing custom mixes of colour. Please wear old clothes and if you have an apron please bring it too. This class will also be run on August 9th if you cannot make this session.

Materials: Materials are included in cost of this workshop.
DATES: Sunday, July 5th
TIME: 1pm – 3pm
COST: $25

Super Simple Jersey Skirt (1 class) with Vivien Spry

You’ll learn how to easily draft, serge and sew a simple skirt from an easy wear jersey fabric in just one day! Pick your own fabric and length and customize your skirt to fit you. You’ll have the chance to go over basic techniques and if you’ve never tried a serger before this is a great chance to give it a go. Maxi, midi or mini, this base skirt design can be adapted to fit your whole summer wardrobe! This class will also be run on August 9th if you cannot make this session.

Make a beginner friendly beach bag to carry all your summer essentials in just a few hours! Using basic techniques and simple instructions you’ll learn to make this great bag out of water proof vinyl fabric with loads of pockets, perfect for the beach or errands in town.

Materials: Cost of fabric is included in the workshop cost, please bring your own sewing machine, scissors, and a temporary marking tool. If you don’t have a sewing machine we can provide you with one for the class, please let us know prior to the class that you will need one.

DATES: Sunday July 12th
TIME: 1pm – 3pm
COST: $25

Intro to Circular Knitting (1 class) with Jenny Margueratt

Socks, hats, sweaters, and cowls can all be knit faster and easier with the addition of knitting in the round. We’ll cover knitting on double pointed needles and circular needles, preparing you to jump into circular knitting on your own or following up with any of our intermediate knitting classes later in the season.

Materials: Please bring 25g-50g of worsted weight (#4) yarn in any fibre you prefer. Needles will be provided.

DATES: Sunday July 19th
TIME: 1pm until we’re done!
COST: $15

Simple Jersey Dress (1 class) with Jill Sullivan

Using about one metre of jersey knit fabric you can make a quick and easy dress or tunic! Like our jersey skirt class, this is going to show you how to draft and sew a dress fit to you in an afternoon using beginner friendly skills and techniques. It’ll give you the framework to expand and embellish later at home.

Materials: One metre of jersey knit fabric, your sewing machine and basic sewing tools. If you do not have a sewing machine you may be able use one of ours, please speak to us if you need to use a machine.

DATES: Sunday July 26th
TIME: 1pm – 3pm
COST: $15 + cost of fabric

FREE Drop-In Cross-Stitch or Embroidery for Kids with Jenny Margueratt

This is going to be a fun and simple drop in activity for elementary school age kids and their parents to play with thread and needle together! We’ll have a variety of templates and oodles of thread colours to choose from so kids can get used to hand embroidery and cross stitch either through making their own design or making a colourful sweater for a little animal friend. Pre-registration is not necessary for this workshop only.

Materials: All materials will be provided!

DATES: Sunday August 2nd
TIME: 1pm – 3pm
COST: FREE

Yarn Dying with Kool-Aid (1 class) with Jill Sullivan

Ever wondered how yarn dyers make such great colours? You can do it too! This super fun workshop is going to teach you how to dye basic wool yarn with food safe dyes in a microwave and in a pot to make the most amazing custom mixes of colour. Please wear old clothes and if you have an apron please bring it too. This class will also be run on July 5th if you cannot make this session.

Materials: Materials are included in cost of this workshop.
DATES: Sunday, August 9th
TIME: 1pm – 3pm
COST: $25

Super Simple Jersey Skirt (1 class) with Vivien Spry

You’ll learn how to easily draft, serge and sew a simple skirt from an easy wear jersey fabric in just one day! Pick your own fabric and length and customize your skirt to fit you. You’ll have the chance to go over basic techniques and if you’ve never tried a serger before this is a great chance to give it a go. Maxi, midi or mini, this base skirt design can be adapted to fit your whole summer wardrobe! This class will also be run on August 9th if you cannot make this session.

Final Thoughts
As always, feel free to share this with your friends, families and loved ones. The more people that know about out workshops, the more opportunity we have to build on them! You can follow our most up to date information on our Facebook page or in store.